Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog

Adam Richman Loves Cleveland

Adam Richman, host of Man v. Food and everyone's favorite serial gorger, has a new book out: America the Edible. In the course of his publicity rounds he stopped by the Today Show for a chat where his love for the Forest City came up. Seems the man who's eaten everything and everywhere is quite fond of our little town.

Q: Places like New York and San Francisco are known for their culinary offerings. What city do you think is the best-kept foodie secret?

A: I don’t really think it’s a secret necessarily, but Cleveland is a really great hidden gem. It has gotten a bad rap because of its history — going into default, the [Cuyahoga] River fire, bad sports teams — but it is the heartland, it’s near great farmland, there’s the historic West Side Market, and you get more bang for your buck there. Some of the best culinary minds, like Michael Symon [of “Cook Like an Iron Chef”], get inspiration there. Cleveland is a special place that often gets overlooked.